Henry Rifles's Controversy: How Firearms Brand Stirred Up Debate

Firearm manufacturers in the United States are frequently the target of controversy in the ongoing debate over 2nd Amendment rights and the gun building industry's liability for misuse of their product. Here are some ways that Henry Repeating Arms, and its Henry Rifles, has stirred up controversy on its own and as part of the firearm industry.

The Henry Name
The Henry Repeating Arms company takes its name from Benjamin Tyler Henry, who patented the first successful lever-action repeating rifle in 1860. However, Henry was working for Winchester Repeating Arms at its plant in New Haven, Conn., when he created the original Henry Rifle, according to Andrew Bresnan in Rare Winchesters.U.S. Repeating Arms, the successor to Winchester, built Benjamin Tyler Henry's designs until it declared bankruptcy in 1989 and was sold to an offshore weapons manufacturer.

The modern Henry Repeating Arms company took the name in 1996. The company had its own successful firearm heritage in New York going back to 1911. The company was founded by an Italian saddle-maker who made holsters and sold firearms to the New York Police Department.

After its founding in Little Italy and a long history of working with the NYPD, Henry Repeating Arms moved to its Bayonne, N.J., headquarters in 2007.

Hurricane Sandy severely damaged the company's manufacturing equipment and building on the New Jersey waterfront. In response, Henry moved some of its rifle lines to a larger facility in Rice Lake, Wisconsin. However, company president Anthony Imperato told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinelthat there were additional factors in play for moving more production capability. “Also, it's easier to find employees who like to go hunting and like to use guns in Wisconsin — very talented folks,” Imperato said.

The gun control climate in the northeast, especially New Jersey, may have played a role in deciding to move more manufacturing out-of-state. New Jersey has the second-most stringent gun control laws in the country after California, according to the Brady Campaign. “Many firearm manufacturers have relocated away from the Northeast due to changing laws or other pressures against the firearm business,” wrote L. Tierney of Watchdog Wire.

This article does not constitute legal advice. Check the current gun laws before purchasing or traveling with a firearm.

This article does not constitute legal advice. Check the current gun laws before purchasing or traveling with a firearm.

Firearm manufacturers in the United States are frequently the target of controversy in the ongoing debate over 2nd Amendment rights and the gun building industry's liability for misuse of their product.

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